His dark materials: An Afghan artist’s take on war

After years of conflict nearly killed contemporary art scene in Peshawar, Abdulrab Habibyar is trying to bring change.


Hidayat Khan November 18, 2013
Habibyar’s photographs and painting are hung on the walls of his apartment on Jamrud Road. PHOTO COURTESY: ABDULRAB HABIYAR

PESHAWAR:


A young man from Afghanistan is trying to make a change one bullet at a time.


Abdulrab Habibyar from Jalalabad believes Pukhtun culture is going extinct and it is time to do something about it.

The 27-year-old moved to the provincial capital to pursue his Masters at the University of Peshawar and decided to follow a career in photography and art after graduation.

Habibyar’s journey has been a successful one. After years of war and conflict on both sides of the border nearly killed the contemporary art scene in the province, Habibyar and other Pukhtun artists have started to find a solid ground to stand on. He has had exhibitions in Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan showcasing Pukhtun people and their culture. He says while organising an exhibition requires a lot of funds, it is important to have them so people can learn about their heritage and culture. However, he was sorely disappointed with the turnout at an exhibition recently held on International Peace Day.


Habibyar’s photographs and painting are hung on the walls of his apartment on Jamrud Road. PHOTO COURTESY: ABDULRAB HABIYAR

His photographs and paintings hang on the walls of his small apartment on Jamrud Road while the floor is scattered with sketches of his latest masterpiece. Some powerful and reoccurring themes in his artwork are violence, child labour and corruption.

Habibyar’s portrait of the poet Ikramullah Gran is quite striking.  “The portrait has been split into four pieces to emphasise on the importance of poetry and poets in contemporary Pukhtun society,” he said while talking to The Express Tribune. “Through this portrait I want to make the Pukhtuns realise how they have treated great poets and intellectuals. The government and public do not give them any attention anymore.”



His disdain for how people treat artists in the country is portrayed in an art piece where he shows Pukhtun musicians performing and the audience not listening. The dark background suggests the present is bleak and future uncertain. “Our elders used to say people like art but not the artist,” he said. “Today nothing is appreciated by anyone.”

In another remarkable piece, Habibyar depicts a chess board with pawns facing off against bullets. “We do not know who is destroying the peace in our countries or running around playing with guns,” he said. “If we want peace and to revive our culture we need to find out who our common enemy is.”

Habibyar’s obsession with bullets and violence is also presented in another art piece where the tuners used to tighten the strings of a rabab have been replaced by bullets.  “This piece is a commentary on what militancy has done to our lives,” he said.

“It has changed the sound of the rabab.”


Habibyar’s photographs and painting are hung on the walls of his apartment on Jamrud Road. PHOTO COURTESY: ABDULRAB HABIYAR

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th, 2013.

COMMENTS (1)

x | 10 years ago | Reply

Beautiful painting. How can one get in touch with this artist?

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ